Terms of Service

The Platform is operated by SKILL-MARKETPLACE LIMITED, RC. 9858728, with its principal business address at No. 21, Yaounde Street, Wuse Zone 6, FCT, Nigeria.

By registering an account, accessing an account-based feature, listing a product or service, requesting or booking a service, placing an order, making a payment, accepting an engagement, or otherwise using any transactional feature of the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, Cookie Policy, and any other policies or rules incorporated into these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not create an account or use the transactional features of the Platform.

1. Marketplace and intermediary. SkillMart is a technology-enabled marketplace that connects customers, buyers, clients and employers with independent sellers and service providers. SkillMart facilitates discovery and search; provider profiles and listings; communication; service requests and bookings; product orders; payment processing; escrow-style holding and settlement; ratings and reviews; dispute resolution; and account administration.

SkillMart is not, by itself, the provider of the underlying products or services listed by independent sellers and service providers. Except where SkillMart expressly states otherwise, a product or service purchased or engaged through the Platform is supplied by the relevant seller or service provider and not by SkillMart.

Independent providers. Service providers and sellers are independent users of the Platform. They are not employees, agents, partners, representatives or authorised representatives of SkillMart merely by virtue of their use of the Platform. No engagement creates an employment, agency, partnership, joint venture or fiduciary relationship with SkillMart.

No guarantee of underlying services. SkillMart may conduct identity, qualification, licence, business or other verification checks. Verification does not guarantee that a provider is competent, qualified for every service offered, will perform satisfactorily, is suitable for a particular engagement, will complete on time, will not engage in misconduct, or will not cause loss or damage. Customers are responsible for reviewing provider profiles, portfolios, qualifications, ratings, reviews, prices and availability before engaging a provider.

2. Eligibility. You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into binding agreements. You must not use the Platform where doing so would violate any law, regulation, court order or other binding restriction. Where an account is created or used on behalf of a company or organisation, the operator represents that they have authority to bind that entity.

3. User roles. An account may operate in one or more capacities:

• Buyer — browse products, checkout, track orders, confirm delivery and leave reviews.
• Seller — list products, manage inventory, fulfil orders and receive settlement of eligible proceeds.
• Service provider — create a professional profile, offer services, accept or reject requests, perform services and receive payment through the Platform.
• Client / employer — post a service request, invite providers, negotiate, fund escrow, approve completed work and raise disputes.

4. Account registration. Provide accurate, current and complete information and update it promptly. You are responsible for password confidentiality, preventing unauthorised access, and notifying SkillMart if you suspect fraud or compromise. Do not share your password. Where permitted, you may use one account for multiple roles, but you must not create fraudulent, deceptive or duplicate accounts to manipulate the Platform, evade enforcement, manipulate ratings, circumvent fees or engage in other prohibited conduct.

5. Onboarding and verification. Providers may be required to provide identity, contact, category, skills, pricing, portfolio, certifications, government ID, bank or payout details and other information reasonably required. SkillMart may verify identity and professional information itself or through designated verification providers. A verification badge indicates that the applicable verification process was completed — it is not a guarantee of competence or suitability. Providers must not falsely claim qualifications, licences or credentials. SkillMart may remove listings or restrict accounts where information is false, misleading, expired or unverifiable.

6. Services and listings. Subject to these Terms and law, providers may set prices, accept or reject requests, define availability and communicate through permitted channels. Providers and sellers are solely responsible for accurate, non-misleading listings. Regulated services may only be offered with required licences and approvals. SkillMart may prohibit or remove listings that violate law, infringe IP, are fraudulent, involve prohibited goods or services, create unreasonable risk, or otherwise breach SkillMart policies.

7–8. Customer responsibilities; requests and bookings. Customers must provide accurate and sufficiently detailed information for products or services, promptly review deliverables, provide access and communicate concerns through the Platform. Once parties agree an engagement, the recorded scope, price, timeline, milestones and deliverables form the basis of performance. Both parties should ensure the agreed scope is clear before work begins.

9. Communications. The preferred channel is Platform messaging. Other channels SkillMart makes available (including telephone, WhatsApp, email, SMS or video) remain subject to these Terms. Where communications take place through SkillMart, users should not expect them to be completely private from SkillMart. To the extent permitted by law, SkillMart may access, monitor, retain or moderate communications where reasonably necessary to secure the Platform, investigate fraud, resolve disputes, enforce these Terms, protect users or comply with legal obligations.

10. Payments. Where payment is available, customers must pay through SkillMart’s designated process. Methods may include debit or credit cards, bank transfers, USSD, wallet balances and other methods supported by payment partners. SkillMart uses third-party payment gateways that may receive information necessary to process transactions.

Escrow-style arrangement. Where applicable, customer funds are temporarily held pending release conditions rather than being immediately paid to the provider. Funds may be released when the customer confirms satisfactory completion or delivery; a milestone is approved; a dispute period expires without a dispute; or another applicable release condition is met. Funds may be refunded or adjusted where cancellation, refund or dispute is resolved in favour of the customer. Nothing in these Terms creates a general banking, deposit-taking or investment relationship with SkillMart.

11. Fees and commissions. SkillMart may charge commissions, service fees, payment processing charges, marketplace fees, subscription or feature charges and other disclosed charges. Fees are disclosed before completion of the applicable transaction where reasonably practicable. Unless otherwise stated, SkillMart may deduct applicable commissions from proceeds before settlement.

Current standard commissions (subject to change and to any rate shown at checkout or in your dashboard):

• Product marketplace commission: 8.5% of completed sales
• Service commission: 12% of completed service contracts

12. Provider payouts. Providers become entitled to eligible proceeds after release conditions are satisfied and after deduction of fees, refunds or other amounts properly payable. SkillMart may delay, suspend or review a payout to investigate fraud, address a dispute, reconcile a transaction, comply with law, verify payout details, address a chargeback, or protect the Platform or users.

13–14. Cancellations and refunds. Cancellations follow the terms displayed for the transaction and may depend on stage of work, dispatch or delivery, milestones and reason. Refunds may be available where a product was not delivered, was materially different or damaged, the transaction was materially misrepresented, a service was not performed as agreed, or SkillMart determines a refund is appropriate. Refunds are not ordinarily available for change of mind after confirmed delivery, unsupported complaints, work that materially complies with the agreed brief, or fees already validly earned. Approved refunds are ordinarily processed through the relevant payment channel. See the Refund Policy.

15–16. Failed transactions, chargebacks and release. SkillMart may investigate failed payments that still debited a customer account and reconcile with the processor. Chargebacks follow processor and bank rules. Users should not confirm completion or delivery if they intend to dispute. Where applicable, funds may also release automatically when a review or dispute period expires.

17. After termination. Closing an account does not extinguish outstanding obligations. SkillMart may retain or process information and funds as reasonably necessary to complete pending transactions, settle disputes, process refunds or payouts, prevent fraud, comply with law, or keep required records. Open disputes, escrow and wallet balances may need settlement before closure is complete.

18. Disputes. Raise disputes through SkillMart’s designated process. For hire or service engagements, either party may ordinarily raise a dispute; for product orders, the buyer may. Users may need to provide evidence (photos, videos, documents, messages, tracking, specifications and similar). SkillMart may review listings, communications, agreed terms, evidence and transaction records. Funds may remain in escrow pending resolution and may be released, refunded, divided or otherwise dealt with under applicable policies. SkillMart’s target for resolving a dispute is 3–5 business days once necessary evidence is available — a target, not a guarantee. The process does not prevent parties from exercising rights under applicable law. See Dispute Resolution.

19. Responsibility for services, damage and injury. Providers are generally responsible for their own acts and omissions in performing services. Customers are similarly responsible for their own acts and omissions. SkillMart does not provide automatic insurance or assume responsibility for personal injury, property damage or other losses caused by an independent provider or customer unless SkillMart expressly states that a specific insurance arrangement applies.

20–21. Prohibited conduct and anti-circumvention. You must not use SkillMart for fraud, impersonation, false identity or credentials, prohibited goods or services, IP infringement, rating manipulation, harassment, malware, scraping, fee circumvention or other unlawful or prohibited conduct. Where parties are introduced through SkillMart, they must not deliberately move the transaction off-platform primarily to avoid fees, escrow, dispute mechanisms or marketplace rules.

22. Ratings and reviews. Reviews should be truthful, based on genuine experience and free from harassment or unnecessary personal information. SkillMart may moderate or remove spam, fraudulent, abusive or unlawful reviews, and would ordinarily not alter a genuine review merely because it is positive or negative.

Users generally retain ownership of original content they upload, subject to third-party rights. By uploading content, you grant SkillMart a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence, for the duration permitted by law, to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute and use that content as reasonably necessary to operate and promote the Platform. You represent that you have the rights to upload the content and grant that licence.

The Platform and its software, branding, trademarks, design, interface, systems and other SkillMart-owned materials are owned by or licensed to SKILL-MARKETPLACE LIMITED. Except as expressly permitted, you may not copy, reverse engineer, commercially exploit or create derivative works from SkillMart-owned intellectual property without prior written permission.

SkillMart processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection requirements. Data may include account information, identity and verification details, profiles, orders and bookings, payment and payout information, communications, ratings, device and browser information, IP and approximate location, cookies, usage information and security logs. Depending on role, higher-risk information such as government ID, financial information, service or delivery locations and, where applicable, biometric information from identity/liveness checks may be processed. SkillMart does not design the Platform to collect health or criminal/background information as part of ordinary onboarding.

Information reasonably necessary for a transaction may be disclosed to the relevant counterparty. Passwords, payment credentials and unrelated account information will not ordinarily be disclosed to providers or customers. SkillMart may disclose information where required or permitted by law.

Cookies, session storage, local storage and similar technologies are used for authentication, sessions, cart and checkout, preferences, drafts, security, analytics and Platform functionality. SkillMart does not currently use advertising cookies as described in the Cookie Policy. Blocking certain cookies may interfere with login, cart or checkout.

Users may request account deletion through settings or support. Deletion does not necessarily erase all information immediately; transaction, escrow, wallet, dispute, verification, accounting and security records may be retained as reasonably necessary. SkillMart implements technical and organisational security measures, but no internet service is completely secure. Users remain responsible for their credentials and devices.

SkillMart may use third parties for payments, identity and business verification, logistics, notifications, WhatsApp support, live chat, social sign-in, mapping, video calling, hosting, analytics, fraud detection and AI-assisted matching. Ranking or recommendation is not an endorsement or guarantee. Third-party links and services may have their own terms and privacy policies.

33. Suspension and termination. SkillMart may restrict, suspend, deactivate or terminate an account for breach of these Terms, unlawful conduct, fraud, false information, fee circumvention, failed verification, security risk, abuse or other threats to Platform integrity. Remedies may include warnings, feature restriction, listing removal, wallet freezes, termination or cooperation with authorities.

34–38. SkillMart may modify, suspend or discontinue Platform features and does not guarantee indefinite availability of every feature. Users are responsible for their own tax, licensing and regulatory compliance. SkillMart is not responsible for force majeure events beyond its reasonable control. Notices may be given by in-app notification, email, SMS, Platform announcement or other reasonable channels. Material changes to these Terms may be notified through the Platform or email; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance where permitted by law.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SkillMart does not warrant that every provider is competent, every listing is accurate, every service will be satisfactory, every transaction will complete without interruption, the Platform will always be available, recommendations will always be accurate, or that the Platform will be entirely free from errors, fraud or security incidents. Verification is not a substitute for the customer’s own due diligence.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SkillMart shall not be responsible for losses arising directly from the independent acts, omissions, negligence, fraud, misconduct or performance of sellers, providers, buyers or other users. Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify SkillMart, SKILL-MARKETPLACE LIMITED, and their officers, employees, contractors and authorised representatives against claims arising from your breach of these Terms, unlawful conduct, misuse of the Platform, infringement of third-party rights, false information, your products or services, interactions with other users, or violation of law — except for SkillMart’s own liability that cannot lawfully be transferred to you.

42. Governing law and dispute resolution. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Parties should first attempt resolution through SkillMart’s complaint or dispute process where applicable. Any dispute arising hereunder shall first be resolved amicably and, failing settlement within thirty (30) days, referred to arbitration in Abuja, FCT, in accordance with the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023. The arbitral award shall be binding. The courts of competent jurisdiction in Abuja, FCT, shall have jurisdiction over related court proceedings, including interim relief and enforcement of arbitral awards.

If any provision is invalid or unenforceable, it shall be interpreted or modified to the minimum extent necessary; remaining provisions continue in force. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, Cookie Policy and other incorporated policies, constitute the agreement governing your use of the Platform. Transaction-specific terms accepted by the parties apply to that transaction to the extent they do not conflict with these Terms or law.

46. Contact.

SkillMart / SKILL-MARKETPLACE LIMITED
RC. 9858728
Address: No. 21, Yaounde Street, Wuse Zone 6, FCT, Nigeria
Email: hello@skillmartltd.com
Telephone: +234 706 960 0952

By clicking “I Agree,” “Accept,” “Create Account,” “Continue,” or any substantially similar button, or by otherwise registering for or using an account-based or transactional feature of SkillMart, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms; agree to be legally bound by them; satisfy eligibility requirements; have provided accurate information; understand that SkillMart is principally a marketplace intermediary and does not itself provide the underlying services offered by independent providers; and understand that payments may be subject to SkillMart’s escrow-style process, fees, cancellation, refund and dispute-resolution rules.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the transactional features of SkillMart.